The Color of Death
by Melodious Martyrdom
Summary: A story about Rikku after the end of FFX. She finds herself in a very strange place and learns something about herself that she never expected... I added Chapter 4 and upped the rating for a little bit of language just to be safe.
1. Prologue

She was awoken by a cascade of colors.  
  
Her eyelids slowly fluttered open, revealing a pair of irritated emerald eyes. However, her expression of annoyance immediately faltered and was replaced by one of bafflement when she became aware of her surroundings.  
  
Rikku had absolutely no idea where she was. Paralyzed with fear, all she could manage to do in order to ascertain her current whereabouts was look around desperately, shooting feverish glances all about her.  
  
She found herself in a world of nothingness. Everywhere she turned, all she could see was color. Hues of blue, red, purple, green, and so on lay forth in every direction as far as the eye could see.  
  
Well, she thought, as far as her eyes could see, anyway.  
  
Rikku became remotely aware that she was trembling violently and used the tiny portion of her strength that still remained after her horrid discovery to attempt to calm herself down.  
  
After struggling to control her frightened tremors for what seemed like forever, she soon realized that resistance was futile. With the undoubting passion that Rikku possessed and implemented in every decision that she had ever made, she resigned herself to the fact that she would surely die at this rate of pure confusion and terror.  
  
"No, you won't," a gruff and mysteriously familiar voice seemingly from out of nowhere informed her.  
  
Rikku, suddenly able to move, whipped around and, upon sighting the source of the proclamation, felt sure that this was the moment she had previously assured herself would be arriving promptly. She started mentally saying her goodbyes, preparing for her fall into eternal unconsciousness.  
  
The object of Rikku's sudden acceptance of pending death stepped forward and spoke a bit louder than before.  
  
"That's really unnecessary."  
  
If she hadn't been so utterly bewildered, she probably would have asked a more sensible and likewise predictable question, such as "Why am I here?" or, perhaps, "Where exactly IS it that I am?". Instead, she simply asked, "Why?"  
  
"Because, you are already dead." 


	2. Chapter 1

Thank you so much to my reviewers! You guys are awesome! And no, this will NOT be an Aurikku as much as you may be unintentionally led to believe that it is in the beginning (although I must admit that Aurikkus are somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine, teeheehee...)  
  
"Because, you are already dead."  
  
Auron had a stunningly brilliant sense of tactfulness in handling delicate subjects such as this.  
  
"But, uh, I," Rikku sputtered unintelligibly until Auron finally ceased her mutterings by speaking again.  
  
"It's really quite simple. When your brother used that Thundara spell on you as a child, you didn't make it out quite as well as he assumed by your appearance. You were just as much an unsent from that day forth as I was after Yunalesca struck me down."  
  
"No! Yunie! She sent you! I would've, been, sent? Too?" Rikku lapsed back into her semiconscious state halfway through her exclamation.  
  
"Precisely. You were. That is why you are here. What don't you comprehend?" Auron looked very aggravated with Rikku's lack of understanding and went to lower his body as if to sit down in a chair. However, as was previously mentioned, not only was there not a chair underneath Auron's hovering form, the area was entirely devoid of any object whatsoever.  
  
Rikku was about to shout a warning when she saw Auron cease movement. He truly looked as though he rested on an invisible piece of furniture. Suddenly, a bolt of silver energy shot under where Auron now sat and she could've sworn she saw it outline an overstuffed loveseat.  
  
"Don't worry. Your eyes will adjust in time."  
  
"My eyes... I... Hey, wait! Don't try and change the subject!"  
  
Auron gave one of his trademark "Hmphs" and asked, "What more do you want of me?"  
  
"I want to know how I was sent when I remember myself standing there with everyone else watching YOU!" At this point, Rikku was whimpering and sniffling back pained tears.  
  
"Do you truly remember witnessing the scene in enough clarity to be sure of what happened?"  
  
"Yes! I mean, well, I was crying so I couldn't exactly get a clear view. Actually, come to think of it, I think I fainted after that... Wait! I see where this is going, you, you... Oh, I'm so lost!" Rikku broke down entirely and sobbed uncontrollably as she lay sprawled out on the floor that, although unperceivable, surely must have been underneath her.  
  
Auron sighed softly to himself. He pitied the situation that Rikku now found herself in. She had been removed abruptly from the world of the living even younger than he had been and with no prior warning, either. She was unable to prepare herself for her final departure from Spira as he had done for 10 long years and...  
  
"So, this is the Farplane?" Auron was startled out of his thoughts as he suddenly became aware that Rikku had regained her composure enough to breathe normally and was speaking to him.  
  
"Uh, yeah. It's, not so bad?"  
  
Rikku appreciated his pathetic attempt to comfort her, but she knew that it WAS that bad. She had been torn away from everything she knew and placed in this inconceivable reality. She could feel the tears resurfacing, but determinedly strangled them back down into the recesses of her soul to be shed at a later hour. Noticing that Auron was giving her a rather odd look, she addressed him much in the manner that a mouse would plead with a cat for his life.  
  
"Um, could I, you know, be alone for a little while, maybe? Please?" the emotionally distraught Rikku asked softly as she crouched into the fetal position and gave adopting a slightly less forlorn façade a try.  
  
"Very well. I'll come back later. There are a few other people who will want to see you as well once you are of a better disposition."  
  
Had Rikku been of a so-called "better disposition," she would've instantly perked up at this comment, pondering endlessly over the dozens of possibilities of who could want to visit her in the afterlife. In her current state, however, her curiosity was morbidly dormant and she couldn't have cared less. She began to hum the Hymn of the Fayth to herself as Auron exited out of sight, hoping that the familiar melody would soothe her troubled mind.  
  
Instead, it made her want to gouge her eyes out.  
  
Not that it would matter, she thought bitterly. It's not as though I'm capable of committing suicide. In order to do that, you have to be alive. Me, I'm deceased. I'm lost to the living. I've passed on to a "better place", if you will. ...Ugh! It sounds so wrong! It IS wrong! I'm not supposed to be here! This is unfair! Why me?!?  
  
After the conclusion of this last part of Rikku's internal soliloquy and a slight pause to calm down, she lifted her head shamefully and tried her best to ease the creases of sorrow and frustration etched on her face into the smoothness of resolution. After all, what was the use in moping about and fighting against what was already accomplished? She was dead. Dead, dead, dead. There was no coming back, no altering her fate. So be it. Rikku eventually convinced herself of this (with much difficulty and inner turmoil) and went to seek out Auron.  
  
She quickly discovered that doing so was not going to be an easy task. How could you locate someone (or ANYTHING for that matter) when you were entirely surrounded by mosaics that stretched into infinity and showed no signs of pattern or reason? Rikku thought that maybe she could feel out objects with her hands since it seemed that they must be there in an invisible form or otherwise since they could support Auron's weight (which must be a rather arduous chore considering his tremendous stature and hefty attire). She groped around helplessly for several minutes, but couldn't manage to stumble upon anything. She reluctantly gave up and waited impatiently for Auron to make another appearance. 


	3. Chapter 2

Rikku was startled out of the unexpected slumber she had fallen into by the firm grasp of a powerful hand on her shoulder. She wondered how she could've possibly drifted off under such circumstances as she found herself in as she complied with the man's waking gesture and gradually stood up. She also rubbed both of her eyes vigorously in order to remove what exhaustion remained from her "rude awakening" in every sense of the term. When she opened her eyes again, she was caught entirely off guard by the sight she saw before her.  
  
The nothingness of the Farplane that she had been tossed into had dissipated as she slept and left in its wake a magnificent city in the clouds. Rikku gasped in sheer amazement. Architectural masterpieces of all shapes and styles towered majestically above her. The streets were overflowing with cheerful citizens speaking with one another amidst the gorgeous scenery. Quite possibly most extraordinary of all, the vast array of colors that had previously pervaded the emptiness that Rikku once believed to be the essence of this world still radiated throughout the metropolis in its place, leaving not a single person or place untouched. It was as though someone had scooped up the city and placed it at the crest of a rainbow.  
  
Rikku forgot to be angry.  
  
Rikku forgot to be afraid.  
  
She simply marveled at the remarkable location of her new and eternal existence in awe and, after much consideration, with a little newfound hope.  
  
"I assume your vision has adjusted," Auron stated after allowing Rikku a few moments to collect herself and snap back into reality. Apparently those few moments were too few. Rikku was still unable to bring herself to speak. She nodded weakly in response to Auron's declaratory inquiry and returned her full attention promptly back to surveying her surroundings.  
  
Auron quickly realized that it could (and most likely would) be quite a while before Rikku's behavior became even slightly recognizable to anyone who had ever met her and decided that it might be best to take her somewhere where she could just sit and ponder this visual and consequentially mental revelation.  
  
"Rikku, I'm going to take you to... Rikku? Ri-" Rikku remained completely still and maintained her unwavering "star struck" stare off into the distance. If anything, it seemed as though she had fallen even deeper into her stupor. Auron gave up on trying to communicate, opting instead to drag her by the arm to the small Al Bhed café he had thought she might enjoy.  
  
"Still no response?"  
  
"None."  
  
Rikku quickly drew a concerned crowd of fellow Al Bheds at the diner and Auron started to regret his choice of setting.  
  
"My brother was like this too when he first got here, but he came out of it really quick."  
  
"Is she going to be OK?"  
  
"Maybe she's ill."  
  
"She's DEAD you idiot."  
  
"Oh, right. Heh. Heh, heh."  
  
"We should probably give her some space."  
  
Auron nodded his head to this particular spectator in appreciation, but, unfortunately, dead people can't always take a hint. The group only grew larger.  
  
They were seated at a table by the window as Rikku had refused to allow Auron to place her anywhere where she didn't have a clear view of the cityscape. Every few seconds, she would raise her hand to wipe away the thin layer of fog that formed on the glass due to her close proximity and deep breathing. Other than that, she had absolutely no connection to anything around her. She was busy contemplating how any of this could be possible and if she should care how any of this could be possible. How could this huge and fascinating world exist unseen by living eyes? If it truly was in the clouds as it appeared to be, why could it not be sensed by people flying in airships or, at the very least, be accidentally bumped into every once in a while? For that matter, how could it stay up there at all? Dozens of questions floated through Rikku's mind and she had a feeling that most of them would never be answered.  
  
Somehow, rather than plummeting her back into the depths of despair that she had just barely escaped from, knowing this pulled her out of her current state of disbelief and uncertainty into an at least temporary state of acceptance. Auron began to see this occurrence in her eyes and sighed deeply in relief.  
  
"Ready to try talking again?" he asked gently.  
  
"Yes... I, I think so."  
  
"All right, then. Questions? Comments?"  
  
Rikku suddenly burst out laughing, causing every single person in the entire establishment to jump a bit in surprise as they had become accustomed to her unusual silence.  
  
"Did I say something amusing?"  
  
"No! I mean, sorry. It just... It sounded like a professor or... I don't know." She began to laugh even harder to the point where it became difficult to breathe. Auron began to smile despite himself and eventually chuckled a bit as well. Rikku was returning. She was truly going to be OK.  
  
Of course, Auron wasn't quite sure how Rikku was going to react to the news about him, but all in due time. He would cross that bridge when he came to it...  
  
...which would probably be when the young and also newly sent man showed up at her doorstep...  
  
...which brought up an important question that he was positive had not occurred to Rikku: just where was she going to set up residence? After all, the tiny room she had been placed in upon her arrival (a Farplane staple for newbies) would only do for so long. He couldn't picture the young girl living alone, but who could serve as her roommate? He certainly couldn't. Firstly, it was morally wrong on several levels, but mostly he knew he would never be able to stand it once she was back to normal. Rikku was a nice girl, but she was way too energetic for his liking.  
  
"Hey, Auron?" Rikku had to wave her hands in front of him to regain his attention.  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Could I meet Braska? He is... here, right?"  
  
"Of course he is. Where else would he be?"  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
Realizing the curtness of his response, Auron added, "Sorry. Certainly, we can see him whenever you'd like. In fact, he's probably very much looking forward to seeing you, but has not contacted you yet because he wants to allow you to settle in before he further barrages you with unfamiliarities."  
  
"Unfamiliarities? He's my uncle!"  
  
"He's also deceased."  
  
"Well, yeah, but so am I!" Rikku tried her best to muster up a smile.  
  
Auron returned it, easing the tension in Rikku's expression tremendously. "Yes, that is true."  
  
"So, can we see him now?" Rikku's request was filled with her recently lacking enthusiasm and urgency and thus Auron obliged immediately by standing and leading the way as Rikku scampered eagerly after him. 


	4. Chapter 3

I am SO sorry that it's taken me so long to update! My computer's been broken and my life's been a living hell. (Then again, one could argue that I never really "had a life" in the traditional sense to begin with, so I suppose the statement 'my life or lack thereof has been a living hell' is more appropriate.) Anyway, now that I've concluded my obsessive-compulsive ramblings, I would like to thank those of you who have decided to stick with me even though you probably figured that I'd either died or run away to Switzerland. Contrary to popular (and well-justified) belief, I do plan on sticking with this story and I hope that you enjoy it!  
  
"Come, Rikku," Auron called impatiently. The girl was now intently ogling at a strange creature that appeared to be a cross between a hypello and a chocobo.  
  
"Is that, um, normal?" Rikku cocked her head slightly as if deep in thought while the unusual critter trotted off after a similarly out of place hybrid of indiscernible origins.  
  
"Everything is normal here."  
  
"Oh, right. Heh, heh..." Rikku chuckled nervously. As soon as the pair was out of sight, she was able to recall the task at hand and sprinted ahead to catch up with Auron.  
  
After about a minute or so (or 30; who can say for sure when immersed in such an environment?), Auron halted abruptly, causing Rikku to collide forcefully with his back.  
  
"Oomph! What was that for? Owwie..." Rikku rubbed her head in pain.  
  
"You should've been paying attention. I stopped for a very good reason."  
  
"Oh, yeah? And what would that be?"  
  
"We've reached the port."  
  
"...Port?" Rikku looked around her, but saw no signs of what the man claimed. "I don't see any boats or even WATER for that matter."  
  
Auron heaved out a deep sigh, his irritation even more evident that before. He remembered that Rikku still had no idea how things worked in this world and that, unfortunately, he was going to have to be the one to explain them to her.  
  
"Not that kind of port. It's a teleport. No one uses ships, machina, or chocobos for transportation here. Everything's done by teleport. It's much more efficient." Making sure not to allow time for questions, Auron spoke the necessary commands and became enveloped in a bright flash of light.  
  
"Hey, wait for me!" Rikku yelled as she hurled herself at the beam and braced herself for what was sure to be an interesting ride.  
  
"AHHHH!!!" Rikku shrieked at the top of her lungs as she found herself being thrust through the air at unimaginable speeds straight towards a large gathering of people.  
  
"Calm down." No inflection whatsoever could be sensed in Auron's tone.  
  
"I, we, AHHHH!!!...huh?" Rikku's body passed directly through the crowd as well as the building behind them.  
  
"See?" Rikku could've sworn that Auron accompanied this snide remark with a proud smirk behind his collar for a split second before returning to his normal expressionless visage.  
  
"You could've at least warned me! Geez..." She remained silent for the rest of the brief journey, although she couldn't help but flinch every time they approached an obstruction.  
  
They reached their destination promptly and the world, previously speeding by, ceased its hurtling roller coaster ride, startling Rikku into falling backward and crashing onto the ground. Refusing to acknowledge Auron's terse fit of snickering, she stood up, wiped herself off, and started walking ahead without looking back.  
  
"May I remind you that you have no idea where you are going?"  
  
"No, you may not." Rikku continued to move forward without pause until she glimpsed Auron turning and traveling in the opposite direction.  
  
"All right, all right! Which way do we go, Mr. Smarty Pants?"  
  
"'Auron' would be just fine, thank you, and Braska lives down this way." He proceeded to take up the exact same path that Rikku had been following just moments before.  
  
"Ooooh..." Rikku growled angrily under her breath. "If he weren't already dead, I'd kill him!"  
  
"Here we are," Auron announced a few minutes later. They had arrived at a quaint little ocean blue cottage that, against all odds, seemed to stand proudly and shine with a certain strength rather than being dwarfed by the intimidating structures that towered over it. Rikku smiled at its unique presence. Even from the little she knew of her uncle, she had pictured something very much like what she now saw before her.  
  
"Can I go ahead?" she asked rather timidly and un-Rikku-like, even under the circumstances.  
  
"I see nothing stopping you." Auron began to head towards the entrance, but Rikku beat him to it. She bounded up the patio steps and knocked eagerly on the door. She was emanating excitement, clearly looking forward to meeting her uncle more than she had originally let on.  
  
However, when her overzealous poundings were finally answered, it was not Braska's warm and welcoming smile that greeted her.  
  
"Hey, Cid's girl!"  
  
Rikku hit the floor for the second time that day. 


	5. Chapter 4

"Hey, Cid's girl!"  
  
Braska emerged through the doorway from behind Gippal just in time to see Rikku collapse.  
  
"I'm guessing you haven't told her yet..." Gippal said in a slightly remorseful tone as he helped Braska lift Rikku up and carry her inside.  
  
"I wasn't exactly expecting you to pop up and yell 'surprise'."  
  
"Auron, you insult me! 'Surprise' is so predictable. I tailored my greeting to be worthy of the little princess that she is." He sarcastically pinched her cheek and wiggled it back and forth. "Besides, there's no better time than the present, right?"  
  
"You tell me. Or, rather, tell her. She's awake."  
  
"You expect me to believe that? Did you SEE her go down?? She's going to be out cold for at least...heeeeey! How ya doin'?" Gippal plastered on a nervous grin as he noticed the confused death glares that Rikku was now aiming at him and looked around desperately for support. Much to his dismay, he discovered that both Auron and Braska had left him all alone to explain himself.  
  
"What... is... going... on?!" Rikku managed to gasp out. In any other situation, her expression would have been quite amusing and even humorous. It was an interesting concoction of embarrassment, depression, betrayal, intense anger, and some emotions that Gippal was pretty sure didn't even have names. "I finally start to sort of get used to the fact that I'm stuck in this place for the rest of my li... forever and then you just show up and I have to start all over again! Why are you here? YOU'RE NOT DEAD!!" She paused for air and noticed that her childhood friend had shuddered at her final exclamation. The realization of what could be the only possible explanation for Gippal's presence in the Farplane hit Rikku suddenly and with great force.  
  
"Um, well, uh, it's a funny story, really...you see," Gippal took a deep breath, closed his eyes tightly, and said, barely above a whisper, "I died when you did."  
  
"You what?" Rikku was convinced earlier that she had no tears left to cry, but they seemed to have replenished themselves as they now flowed freely.  
  
"I kind of got mad at Brother when he gave you that little shocker. He tried to tell me it was an accident, but I was just a kid, you know. I refused to listen. I started to hit him and I guess he got scared and accidentally let another spell rip and it sort of... killed me."  
  
"...You died because of me?" If Rikku was upset before, she was on the brink of hysteria now.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Nothing killed me except my own arrogance and stupidity. I should've been trying to help you rather than attacking Brother who was clearly just as freaked out as I was if I had bothered to look." Gippal took Rikku's hand as she started to sob uncontrollably. "It's ok, really. Now we can hang out together like we did back home. It'll be like nothing's changed except that we don't have to deal with that damn desert weather! Sure, things are going to take some getting used to, but now neither of us will have to look like an idiot all by our lonesome. We can make asses of ourselves as a pair just like in the good old days! C'mon, Rikku, what do you say?" Gippal looked at her with pleading eyes.  
  
Rikku made an attempt at responsiveness merely because he had actually used her name, a major indicator that Gippal truly did not blame her and wanted to make sure that she didn't either. She lifted her head and gave him a weak smile as their eyes met. Gippal relaxed at her gesture and pulled Rikku into a tight hug. As unexpected as this was to her, she decided it was the best thing that had happened to her since this whole ridiculous debacle had begun.  
  
Their embrace was interrupted by Braska and Auron's reentrance. Auron seemed unfazed for the most part, but Braska was openly delighted with Rikku and Gippal's odd reunion. "Rikku, my beautiful niece!" Braska's happiness and pride caused the normally shy and inconspicuous man to positively radiate his emotions.  
  
"Uncle Braska!" Gippal noticed with relief that Rikku's smile was coming more and more easily as the moments passed. "I finally get to meet you! I've heard all about you from Yunie."  
  
"Oh, yes, yes, I'm sure..." Braska's modesty was being reinstated in his speech with every word. "But, anyway, how are you? Are you feeling better? Can I get you anything?"  
  
Rikku felt herself blushing as she recalled what her reactions must have looked like to a spectator. "I'm fine now. Thanks for your concern. I'm just a little... off lately."  
  
"Well, that's perfectly understandable! Don't fret; you'll become accustomed to life here in no time. It's actually quite nice. The hard part is the psychological acceptance. I've heard that you've already made excellent progress in this area." Braska stepped closer to Rikku and lovingly traced the contours of her face with his eyes. "Your features are remarkably similar to those of Yuna's mother, your aunt. In fact, the resemblance is quite striking."  
  
"I hope that that's a good thing," Rikku said hesitantly. The last thing she wanted to do was bring any fraction of the sorrow she had been through in the past 24 hours upon anyone else, but especially this kind man that she had just been introduced to.  
  
Braska laughed whole-heartedly. "Rikku, you mustn't worry about upsetting me! I've come to terms with my situation, as I know you will in time. Besides, I do believe you've forgotten something of importance: she's here, too."  
  
Rikku giggled lightly at her mistake. "I'm still trying to get used to this whole idea. It's a little overwhelming at first, you know."  
  
"I know what you mean," Gippal agreed.  
  
"Oh, that reminds me!" Braska reached into one of the pockets of his elaborate summoner's robe and pulled out a small envelope. "I got a little something for the two of you."  
  
Rikku and Gippal both looked ponderingly at Braska and then at each other. They could both tell what the other was thinking: he's up to something.  
  
"I purchased tickets for some sort of concert that's going on tomorrow night. I'm not familiar with the group, but I heard that the music is really popular with kids your age and figured it would be something fun for you to do and a way to start to feel more comfortable."  
  
"Wow, thanks!" Rikku gave her uncle an appreciative hug. Gippal gave the man his thanks as well, but opted to express it with a handshake.  
  
"Why don't you guys go out and do some exploring? Come back in a few hours and we can all have dinner together."  
  
"Sounds great!" Rikku, her old personality reawakened by the prospect of an adventure, rushed toward the door. Gippal waved goodbye and ran to catch up before she slammed the door in his face.  
  
As soon as they were gone, Braska turned to Auron, a forlorn frown gracing his otherwise serene physiognomy. "Neither of them know, do they?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid not."  
  
"We should give them some time, but eventually, they must be informed."  
  
"I agree. If we wait too long, it could be our disastrous undoing."  
  
"Not just ours, but all of humanity's as we know it."  
  
"Hey, Braska? Do you remember that phrase about death that we heard over and over again from the villagers of that one particular village right before Mt. Gagazet when we were on your pilgrimage? 'Death is the eternal release and revival'?"  
  
"Yes, what about it?"  
  
"It's bullshit." 


End file.
